Blog

Is it just me, or is finding a job or getting a response harder than ever?

I lost count of the number of jobs I had applied for after the 300th job application.

Of those 300, I’ve had one in-person, one virtual, and two unofficial phone interviews.

There have also been several jobs that required multiple hurdles before reaching an interview. I’m talking aptitude tests, typing tests, behavioural questions. I didn’t realise my mathematical skills and failure to master spatial reasoning was needed for an administration role.

I would be extremely generous to say that I’ve heard back from 10% of the companies to which i have applied.

All provide a similar stock-standard automated response:

“Thank you for applying for the role of ‘XYZ’. After careful consideration, your application has not progressed to the next stage. Please note we do not provide individual feedback.”

What is going on?

It’s not just the sheer volume of applications I have put forward; it’s the lack of feedback about why I’m not even making it past the initial screening stage.

I’ve worked in recruitment myself, so I recognise it may be challenging for a company or business to respond to every applicant, especially if the position is in government or is highly sought-after i.e. working from home during school hours is a unicorn job for us mums that is difficult to lock down.

However, without tooting my own horn, I know that I have the skills, knowledge and capabilities to be successful at many of the jobs I have applied for.

Again, I know there are people out there who are better suited.

But what if that isn’t always the case?

What if there is a stark issue in my resume that is misleading or turning off recruiters?

How would I ever know?

I decided to test the theory

Recently, I applied for a job in Queensland where, on paper, I exceeded their qualifications for a suitable candidate.

However, I left my residential location as ‘Victoria’ on my resume (I prefer not to list full addresses for privacy reasons).

I received a call from this company’s recruiter several days after receiving Seek’s generic email response.

“Hi, I’m just confirming what state you are living in. Your resume listed that you reside in Victoria, so I automatically binned your application.”

Ahh, hang on a gosh darn minute?!

Firstly, I thanked the recruiter for retrieving my resume from the bin so that I could call and enquire about my living status.

Secondly, for all they know, I had moved from Victoria to Queensland and at the time of applying for the role, I was residing in Victoria.

When I asked the recruiter if this was why I wasn’t considered for the role, she responded with a resounding ‘yes’; she wasn’t going to ‘waste time’ on someone who didn’t live in the state.

I strive to keep an up-to-date, accurate, and error-free resume. However, this experience proved that even the tiniest details on a resume can have significant implications.

I have rewritten my resume several times, constantly fearful of rejection.

I even went to the lengths of paying someone to write my resume and a standard cover letter.

Not. One. Job.

Is AI playing a part?

AI is changing the face of the world very quickly – even though it has been around for years.

Are all resumes being filtered through a system that utilises AI to weed out the best from the average candidates?

While I am all for AI, I still don’t believe we are there yet where a computer can determine from my resume that I may not be suitable for a role, when on paper, I meet every single requirement.

What happened to speaking to a candidate and getting a sense of the skills, interviewing abilities, life experience and personality?

Experiencing similar? Have insider advice you’d like to share?

I’d love to hear from you if you are in a similar position to me or have experienced something equally frustrating regarding employment.

I’d also love to hear from you if you are a professional resume writer, recruitment coordinator, or HR professional who can shed some light on what is happening or even give us some trade secrets.